


SEMISHIRA: The Monster Under His Bed

by Porcupixel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Free day, Haikyuu - Freeform, Halloween, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, SemiShira - Freeform, SemiShira Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27160763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Porcupixel/pseuds/Porcupixel
Summary: The lights are out and there's a monster under the bed. What's in store for Shirabu tonight?
Relationships: Semi Eita & Shirabu Kenjirou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53
Collections: Semishira Week 2020





	SEMISHIRA: The Monster Under His Bed

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoyed writing this so much and I hope you'll enjoy reading it! Thanks for choosing to read my work! Happy SemiShira Week!

I awoke to the familiar sounds of footsteps on the wooden bedroom floor. The familiar pair of feet casually walked into the room, pivoting slightly as the owner turned to gently close the door. They walked to the left, and then I saw a brown school bag drop to the floor with a soft thud. ‘Next is the closet,’ I thought to myself. It wasn’t that hard to guess the routine of a person I shared a room with.

Technically speaking.

But, instead of walking to the right side of the room to where the red wooden closet was, I saw the feet approach the bed, which was something I didn’t expect. I had to shrink further into the shadows as to not make my presence known. The owner of the feet, who was a boy around…16 I guessed…landed on the bed, the mattress shifting with his weight. The heavy thump of his body colliding with his bed was followed by a long, tired sigh. His feet though dangled lazily in front of my eyes.

Why exactly am I seeing this boy’s feet right in front of me? Wonder no more, because I’m exactly what you think I am.

I’m a monster under the bed. And I’ve been under this particular human’s bed for six months, two weeks, five days, and counting.

If you want to go into the specifics, I’m somewhat of a shadow creature. I travel through the shadows and sometimes haunt humans when I’m in the mood. Why I’m under someone’s bed though…that’s because I’m trapped, and for two reasons.

First, this boy is utterly terrified of the dark. I camped here for one night and the next thing I know is that I can’t leave because this boy never EVER turned his lights off at night. Like…Who does that?

And, the second reason is…the boy seemed lonely.

Throughout my stay, I’ve learned a lot about the owner of my new “home”. His name is Shirabu Kenjirou, a studious sophomore and determined volleyball player with an unusually geometric hairstyle. He wakes up at 5 AM and comes home around 8 PM. And he’s very much afraid of the dark (his loss, really). His remedy to that is this blinding, bunny-shaped night light that is admittedly cute, but not exactly something I’d get for myself.

Okay, now that I think about it, that’s probably not a lot.

Why do I say he’s lonely? I’ve never seen him invite a friend over, he doesn’t have any games, and all he does at night is study. I’ve taken it upon myself to “keep him company”.

“Kenjirou,” his mother called. She’s a kind woman, always vacuums under the bed and keeping my spot clean and dustless. She said something about dinner. Shirabu got off the bed and walked towards the door, opened it, but didn’t step out. “I’m not hungry right now,” he replied. There was a pause. Then, his mother hollered a considerate ‘okay’.

I’ll spare you the details of the evening with my painfully plain roommate. As usual, he just laid on his bed and, I assumed, just studied and read books, evidenced by the constant sound of a page being turned over. He had his bedroom lights on and so all I could do was stay under his bed. Just when I thought we’d be spending another dull night…

The lights went out.

I felt power suddenly course through my body and I was more energetic than I could remember. The endearing familiarity of the darkness somehow soothed me. Even the moonlight didn’t seem to bother me. I crept out from under the bed and into a dark corner of the room, careful not to make a sound. I didn’t want to scare my roommate who was…not really as ecstatic as I was.

I watched Shirabu frantically jump on his bed and fumble for the flashlight on his nightstand. As the white light flickered to life, his shoulders visibly dropped as he sighed heavily in relief. In the stillness of the room, I could hear him faintly counting to 10, his features relaxing in the process. How…interesting. I didn’t even hear a peep from him.

Thankfully, his flashlight was aimed towards the ceiling and the light radiated in a few inches long radius. I was safe from his sight in that little corner behind the curtains.

_ The window… _

It was right beside me. I could just escape into the night and free myself from this unexpected imprisonment. I peeked outside. The only thing illuminating the surroundings was moonlight. As far as I know, moonlight didn’t burn as much as direct sunlight. Practically speaking, this was the perfect time to leave…

A new voice interrupted my decision-making. It was much louder than Shirabu’s trembling one and more melodic. Thinking that someone had entered the room unannounced, I shrink back into hiding and look towards the door. Only, I see Shirabu. humming to the song he was playing on his phone. He held the device in one hand while the other still clutched the small flashlight. With the faint smile on his lips, he seemed more relaxed and, dare I say…

Cute? Maybe a little.

The music drowned out the noises of the night, as well as my own thoughts. For a few moments, we stood there, listening to the song, until…

“That song’s nice. What is it?”

Did I tell you that Shirabu didn’t even squeak when the lights went out? Well… Now he was screaming.

“WHO SAID THAT,” he shouted, pointing his flashlight towards me, who was still in shock after what I had just done. Luckily (kinda), the searing pain from the light touching my form snapped me right out of my daze.

I slinked underneath his bed just before Shirabu could do any lasting damage. The bed shook as he scrambled out of it. He was a few paces away from where I was hunched up.

“GET OUT OF THERE!”

“I will! I will! Just turn off your flashlight!”

“I WILL NOT TURN OFF MY FLASHLIGHT. GET OUT.”

I sighed. What kind of nightmare fuel did his parents read to him as a child? This is just crazy.

Stubbornly, Shirabu repeated his warning, “GET OUT OF MY ROOM.”

From under the bed, I could still see where he was pointing his flashlight. The beam of light was fortunately not too wide but unfortunately pointed right at the window. My escape route was shut off.

“If you pee your pants, I ain’t responsible,” I say jokingly.

“JUST GET OUT”

“ALRIGHT! Geez…”

Carefully, I creep out from under the bed on the side opposite to where he was. But as I opened my mouth to speak, I feel the same burning sensation right on my face. I shrink back under the bed as fast as I could, shouting, “Will you turn off the damned flashlight?!”

“What the hell are you?!”

I sigh (again). “I understand the confusion, but I can’t really clear it up if you keep pointing that stupid flashlight at me!”

Silence. Shirabu didn’t answer, but I think I hear his breathing slowing down from the agitated panting that it was a few seconds ago. At least he was smart enough to calm himself down.

He’s certainly a screamer though.

Gently, I said, “Turn the flashlight off and promise not to scream.”

I heard him snort. He snapped, his voice a bit shaky, “You can’t tell me what to do, you…you monster!”

Well, that’s rude.

“I can’t exactly leave if you keep pointing the light at me. Do you not know monster logic, Shirabu?”

A long, awkward pause.

I watched his feet shuffle nervously. “H-How do you know my name,” he stammered. I really should stop scaring the poor guy, but it’s not like I’m trying to. Before I could answer though, he adds, “Don’t answer that. I’ll point the flashlight away… Can you leave if I do that?”

I knew he was the smart type. Sighing in relief, I answered, “Sure can.” It took a few seconds, but finally, the blinding beam was redirected away from the bed. I slipped away towards the window. Towards freedom. 

But, what is this heavy feeling weighing down on my shoulders?

Maybe it was guilt, or I was just dying for a haunting. I don’t know, but I looked back at Shirabu. He stood on the other side of the room, pressed against the door with his eyes shut tightly and his lips trembling. I cursed under my breath.

“Open your eyes.”

Shirabu jumped at least a foot in the air at my voice. I could sense his heart racing. One of the perks of being an inhuman creature, I guess. He shook his head frantically. “No way! You’re probably going to devour me or something.” Despite the fear in his voice, it seemed he was fighting the urge to shine his flashlight on me once again. I barked with laughter, and I watched his features contort with offended confusion. 

I replied, “You’d probably give me indigestion if I do. Just open your eyes. I’m not even that scary.” The response I got was another snort. This boy’s got some attitude even as he cowered like a cornered mouse.

“Says a monster. Of course,  _ you _ don’t think you’re scary.”

“Point taken, but I have a rather human-like form. I wouldn’t think I’m as scary as my colleagues.”

The only differences between us were the black miasma rippling through cracks in my pale, skin, the black sclera of my eyes, and…

“Your hairstyle is way scarier than mine, you know. Who cuts their bangs like that,” I added teasingly. That did the trick. Shirabu shot his eyes open and brought the light threateningly close to my form. The moment his eyes landed on me, he froze. We stood there in another awkward silence. We seemed to have a knack for creating that kind of atmosphere.

But, where I half-expected pure horror, his features were painted with confusion…and disappointment?

“Huh,” his tensed shoulders suddenly slacked and he took a few small curious steps, then he spluttered, “I thought the Boogeyman would be…scarier.”

_ Excuse me? _

It took me a moment to register what he said, then in the next, I was roaring with laughter. “The Boogeyman,” I barked, talking to no one in particular at first, “The Boogeyman he says!” Several seconds passed before I could fully calm down, but Shirabu didn’t seem as amused as I was. He looked at me expectantly. Fear only left a few traces on his face. 

“I can dance alright, but I’m not the Boogeyman. I know him though.” The face of my fellow nightly creature flashed in my mind, and I shuddered. “A good guy, but can be a bit of a creep.”

Shirabu looked at me in disbelief. I don’t blame him. There probably aren’t a lot of monsters that just…talk with the kids they haunt.

I watched his face scrunch up with different confused expressions. His eyebrows furrowed, the skin on his nose crinkling with them, and his mouth formed an annoyed pout. I don’t know if it’s physiologically possible to monsters, but I may or may not have felt a little warmth in my face.

“If you’re not the Boogeyman, then who are you?”

“My friends, if you can call them that, uh…they call me Eita.”

He chortled softly. “Sounds weird.”

Why this little… Well, I’m not just going to stand here and get insulted by some kid who’s afraid of a little darkness. Slowly, I walked towards Shirabu, making my way around the bed. Fear started making its way back up his face. And, with every step I took, Shirabu shuffled back twice, until I had him trapped between the door and myself.

In a low, reverberating voice, I whispered, “Care to repeat that, Shirabu?”

I watched his lips quiver slightly, like a chill ran up his spine. Slowly, I took the flashlight from his hands and… jumped back onto the bed while pointing the blinding light at Shirabu’s face.

“That’s not even half of what  _ I _ feel when  _ you _ point this stupid thing at me!”

Shirabu charged at me in vain, barely getting a hold of me or the flashlight. “Give that back, you jerk,” was his very lame battle cry. I laughed as I easily maneuvered around and teased him. Then, I decided to turn the flashlight off.

Wrong move? Most probably.

Shirabu just froze in front of me, looking like a deer in headlights…minus the lights. With how much I’ve annoyed him this night, I thought we could have at least gotten past the terrified reactions stage of things. But, call me a poltergeist’s uncle because this boy still looked as horrified as he was 30 minutes ago. Unlike his earlier charges, Shirabu was just grabbing aimlessly at whatever shadow was shaped like my hand, muttering frantically the word “light”. He was so shaken up, so I did the only thing I thought I should do.

Well, I didn’t really think about it, but I found myself grabbing Shirabu’s shoulders, forcing him to look at me. “Hey,” I said, “Breathe.”

“I- I- I c-can’t- I-“

“Shirabu.” I looked him in those scared eyes of his, the black sclera of mine reflected in welled up tears, “Just breathe.”

I started to count, urging him to do what I said. It took him a few moments, but then he reluctantly closed his eyes, and soon the tension in his shoulders gradually disappeared. He slowly sat on the edge of his bed as he continued to slow down his breathing. I stood beside him rather awkwardly, my hand still on his shoulder.

I’m not one for awkward, silent moments, and this one was starting to bug me. “Are you okay now,” I suddenly asked. I got a well-deserved glare in response. Clearly angry, Shirabu spat, “You think that was funny, Eita? Was it?”

“Well, no,” I spluttered. His mood sure changed quickly. “I was just-“

“Scaring me?”

“No! I mean-“

“Making fun of me?”

“’Course not! Just-“

“Just what?”

“Well, I can’t tell you if you keep interrupting now can I?”

If looks could kill, well I don’t think I can  _ die _ , but I’d shrink into a tiny ghostling probably. But I can’t waste my beautiful complexion.

I continued with a sigh. “Look. I was trying to help.”

A very annoyed Shirabu scoffed, looking away like a pouty kindergartner who wouldn’t listen to anyone. “And how do you think turning off my flashlight would help, jerk!”

“Error in judgment.” I shrugged, “Happens to the best of us.”

And to match that very annoyed face was a very exasperated  _ ugh.  _ But it didn’t seem like I was getting anything else. 

………

I really hate awkward silences now.

“Why are you scared anyway?”

Shirabu suddenly looked at me like I’d asked him if I could get figs from an apple tree.

“Look at a mirror and you’ll see why.”

“I don’t have a reflection, smartass.” That’s one point for me in my book. 

Smirking, he replied. “Looks like you get my point anyway.”

And, one for Shirabu. (Ugh)

“You’ll be surprised by how many of us are out there.”

At that, Shirabu rolled his eyes. “And why do I get stuck with you?”

“Hey. Lower your voice.” I beckoned to the window. “You’ll offend the ghost in your mom’s garden.”

It was entertaining to realize and see how expressive Shirabu’s face was. He sharply looked out the window, then seemed to strongly regret doing so. Fumbling over his words, he managed to say, “Please tell me you’re joking.” To which I shook my head, a mischievous smile plastered on my lips. ‘Not one bit,” I answered, “They said they liked the daisies and petunias. Why do you think none of them have wilted petals?”

The next thing I knew…SMACK. A pillow landed right on my face, hurtled by a flustered little Shirabu.

“Really? A pillow attack?”

He held up the heavy-looking hardbound book beside him. “Would you prefer this?”

Can he not take a joke? Seriously. He needs some friends.

But, well, you’ll never guess what he did next. Laughed.

A lighthearted, almost cute laugh came out of Shirabu’s mouth. Unexpected, I know. It was the most relaxed I’ve seen him all night.

“What are you smiling about?”

Smiling?

“Who?”’

He rolled his eyes again. Then answered, “You, idiot. You’re smiling like the idiot that you are.”

That was odd. If he said it like that, it has to be one of  _ those _ smiles. Very un-monstery and more human-ish. And unbecoming of me. Testing him, I raised an eyebrow and said, “You’re just trying to tease me, aren’t you?”

Shirabu groaned. I had to fight the urge to chuckle. He is so predictable.

My eyes drifted to the phone beside him. Wasn’t he humming a song earlier? It seems my curious glance didn’t escape Shirabu’s keen eyes, which followed my gaze onto the device. “What? Are you gonna burgle me for my phone now,” he teased, grabbing and turning it on.

“What am I gonna do with a stupid phone,” I chided, “I was just wondering if you could play that song again.”

Ever so slightly, his head cocked sideways, and he gave me a questioning look. Then, quickly switched back to his phone. His finger gliding across the glass screen while the light lit up his face. A few moments passed, the same melody from earlier began playing. Shirabu’s hair might be iffy but his music taste definitely isn’t. And that’s one redeemable quality. Maybe.

“Are there others like you?”

“Huh?” At first, I looked at him like he was joking. Of course, there were other shadow creatures out there. But, I had an inkling Shirabu meant something else.

He added, “You know, monsters who don’t go scaring people.”

Called it. But, honestly, in the two seconds of thinking time he gave me, I wasn’t sure if I had an answer. I shrugged. “It’s not like I do it for a living. It’s fun because you humans have this weird, exaggerated view of my folk. There are dangerous kinds that eat animals and sometimes humans. But that’s nature. Frankly, I don’t know a lot like those. Creatures like me just like to slink around at night, you know. We’re the little harmless bumps in the night.”

Shirabu shifted. It seems I satisfied him with that. Now, he looked curious, excited, and scared, all at the same time. And I knew exactly where this was leading to. One question was followed by another and another and another and another. For each one, I had the answers for him. And, oh boy, did he have questions.

It’s safe to say that we both lost track of time during our fun little Q&A.

The mellow beats of his playlist, the eager questions that sounded like something a seven-year-old would be asking, the reactions he had with my answers, and that bright, warm light.

OH SH-

The power couldn’t have come back at a more convenient time. All over my body, searing, stinging pain jolted me awake from the careless moment. I’d barely recovered as I snuck into the refuge underneath the bed…when I saw, or didn’t, the light.

“Eita, are you okay?” Oh, so concerned he sounds. Like a few hours ago he wasn’t screaming and threatening my very existence.

I chuckled as I crept back out into the comforts of darkness. “That’s very nice of you, but what about-”

From the corner of my eye, a faint, purple glow flickered to life. It was the bunny nightlight on Shirabu’s bedside. I turned back to Shirabu, who was now looking both annoyed and bashful. He strode back to the bed and landed onto the mattress with a soft  _ thump _ and a yawn.

“I guess I can turn the lights off from now on,” he muttered. Then, he regretted doing so as soon as he spotted the grin on my face.

“Awww, look at you,” I cooed, “Being all considerate and concerned. It doesn’t suit you by the way.”

“Oh my God, do you want me to turn them back on?!”

“I meant, wow thank you so much, kind, considerate, caring, Shirabu Kenjirou! I’m so ever- oomph-“

Yeah, the same pillow hit me twice on the same night. It was worth it though.

I nestled in my usual spot under his bed. It was nicer now that it was a lot more darker. I felt more…free.

“Are you staying, Eita?”

Am I? Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.

“Good night, Shirabu.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked reading this! Please feel free to leave a comment or feedback if you want to! Lovelots!


End file.
